Domestic consumers to be hit hardest by Time of Day power tariff system

Nashik: Domestic consumers in Maharashtra are set to be the worst affected by the Time of Day (ToD) tariff introduced under the fresh multi-year tariff order of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), announced in March 2026, but to be applicable from July 1, 2025.Though it has been claimed that overall power tariff will reduce by 4%-30% till 2030, a 20% premium charged for consumption during peak hours, defined as 7am to 9am and 5pm till midnight, is expected to affect the state's 2.6 crore residential consumers the most.MERC announced a multi-year tariff order on March 28, 2025, reviewed it and issued a new order on June 25, 2025. The revised order was challenged in the Bombay high court, which asked MERC to conduct a public hearing again. MERC pronounced its final order on March 25, 2026."From 7am to 8.30am, the power is used for electrical cooking gadgets, ovens, grinders, washing machines, clothes iron by people before they leave for office. They return at 7.30pm, when gagets are used for entertainment, fans, air coolers, cooking and it goes on till 9.30pm," Shalini Thorat, a working woman from Nashik city said. "So what is the off-peak hour for residential consumers?" she asked.For a family where everybody goes to work, or has students who go to educational institutes — they all leave home at 9am and return by 6pm. "Can the govt tell us when and how can we benefit from the off-peak hours also termed as ‘solar hours'?" asked Ramesh Sutar, a resident of Nashik employed with a private company.Residential consumers are also expected to be penalised by the 20% premium for power consumed during peak hours, which is stated to be about 80% of total consumption, while the discount for consumption during solar hours is described as very less. "It is a punishment for us," pointed out Ragini Borole, another resident of Cidco.The Nashik unit of Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat noted that the tariff will do more harm to residential consumers. "It will be a harassment for the residential consumers," said Hira Jadhav, a retired engineer with the state electricity company and president of the Nashik unit.He claimed that ToD for residential consumers should be planned in their interest and not in the interest of the company. "The MERC, the govt and the MSEDCL should take appropriate measures to give relief to the consumers in real terms. One step could be that premium charged on residential consumers should be reworked," Jadhav added.